The Nationals look for a series victory this afternoon at Miller Park.

Bryce Harper has been battling a stomach virus for several days now, and it was bad enough to keep the rookie out of last night's game. He'll attempt to return to the Nationals' lineup for today's series finale at Miller Park, batting second behind Steve Lombardozzi and ahead of Ryan Zimmerman.

Gio Gonzalez gets the start for the Nats, seeking to become the first NL pitcher to reach 14 wins (only Tampa Bay's David Price has done it so far). The left-hander is coming off perhaps his best start of the season: zero earned runs, two hits in seven innings against the Mets.

A win today would catapult the Nationals to 21 games over .500 for the first time and secure a superb 5-1 road trip in advance of this week's homestand against the Phillies and Marlins.

I'm off again today, but I'll be back at the park Tuesday for the opener against Philadelphia and the trade deadline. In the meantime, enjoy today's game and discussion…

Sorry to see that Corey Brown is not in today's lineup. He already has more HRs in his first year in the majors than Josh Willingham had, at the same age.Those who have trashed Rizzo for the Willingham trade may wish to reserve judgment until Brown has had some time to provide a more complete resume by way of comparison to Josh. Anyone watching Brown play CF knows he is a 5-tool player, with speed and athletic grace that Josh never had. Brown looks like a gazelle gliding across the OF grass. His reads are quick, his paths to the ball true and swift, his glove sure and his arm strong. Josh is slow, by comparison, is an average fielder, at best, with an average arm, or slighter better than average. He is no Corey Brown out there, in any way, shape, or form.Josh can hit with power and, occasionally, for average. Brown can hit for both average and power.The Nats tried to make Henry a closer before he was ready. He has the tools but not the makeup, as yet. They made the same mistake with Joel Hanrahan about 5 years ago, when he was about the same age as Henry is now. Hanrahan is now one of the premier closers in the NL. The Nats may try and trade Henry, in which case we will evaluate the return for that trade, if one is made.IMO, after all is said and done, Rizzo's Willingham trade will go down as one of his best.

Laddie…I don't miss Willingham either, and I hope Brown ends up being great, but have we really seen enough for him to earn that much praise? I think way too much is being made of his AAA stats…there's a reason he's been in the minors for so long…Most likely he tops out as a R. Bernadina or J. Maxwell type of guy, not a superstar…

Win today, and Reds and Yanks lose, best record in baseball.On July twenty-freakin'-ninth, and we've got a shot at best record in baseball.Didn't see that coming.Pretty freakin' bueno.For the late-arriving crowd: Go You Freakin' Nats Go!!(GYFNG!!)

@Laddie: Totally agree. And Davey/Rizzo are handling Brown just right. Let him get enough seasoning in minors, then spot him against mediocre Pitchers so he has the best chance of success.Brown for Willy would have been a good trade just by itself. Don't forget Willy's history of injuries. Plus his age. If/when MPH Rod matures, I agree it might be one of Rizzo's best (although the best still is Mickey Morse for Langershlang, straight up). Close second: Gio for those four kids. I'm in the minority here, but I think the AL will catch up to Tommy Milone.

honestly I miss Hammer's bat. When fit, he is an on-base machine and he has solid power. this season is likely his career year but boy, is he on fire. I bet he is top five hitter in AL right now. I hope he stays put in Minnesota.Coming back to return for Hammer's trade, I think it is still early to judge. We have both HRod and Brown under control for few more seasons and time to evaluate that trade.While going over AL's hitters, how can Trout not win MVP and ROY? Literally he is leading in every category it seems.

I think way too much is being made of his AAA stats…there's a reason he's been in the minors for so long…Most likely he tops out as a R. Bernadina or J. Maxwell type of guy, not a superstar…Swift,21 home runs? 7 triples? 19 doubles? 70 runs? 58 RBI? IN JUST 1/2 a season of AAA?NONE OF THOSE guys you list COULD EVER DO THAT and NEVER DID. Morse didn't even do that in AAA at the same age and he raked through two AAA leagues. That's really raking. The knock against Brown was the inconsistent hitting. But not the typical inconsistency you see. He would rake for part or whole season than go completely the opposite.As Brown says himself this has to do with confidence. A lot of his confidence came from his fast and close friendship with Mississippian Tyler Moore. As a result he and Tyler develop a synergy when they are in the lineup together and they did spend some time with Harper as well. Another case where the signing of Werth HURT and did not help. It may be hindsight but is Werth the one Johnson decided to bring on road trips while he is on the DL? No, its Desmond not Werth.Werth == bench bat.

From the little I've seen of CBrown, he looks like a legit CFer. The power seems to be there, but translating from AAA is hard to do.Let's hope that he is on the 25 man roster next year, and gets some chances to show his stuff. I'd still have some hope for MPHRod in the pen.

However, Brown's 5 strike outs and 0 walks, and Tyler Moore's 9 walks against 28 strike outs might be disconcerting making the FO leery. Even Harper has fallen off the wagon a bit with his 137 strike outs but his 70 walks are pretty decent for the 1/2 point. All three have to keep that ratio pretty even if they can.

Fact is, this is Brown's 6th season in pro ball, and no one–fangraphs, baseball prospectus, baseball america, etc.–ranked him even among the Nats top 10-20 prospects at the beginning of the season. Yes, he had a tremendous half season in AAA. That merited a call up, and I hope he performs well. But anointing him as a sure thing is jumping the gun.

Close second: Gio for those four kids. I'm in the minority here, but I think the AL will catch up to Tommy Milone.They already did. But the trick with him, and unfortunately not so much with Rosenbaum is that he knows how to adapt. Its why he will likely get close to 20 wins this year.

Excuse me peric, but Werth is rehabbing in Syracuse, and Desi is on rest rehab. Werth changed the culture of expecting to lose, and help create an atmosphere these rookies could grow and prosper in. Pudge and Werth's signings were the sea change that propel the current chemistry of the Nats. There is more to building a championship calibier organization than just stats, youth and potential. peric saysIt may be hindsight but is Werth the one Johnson decided to bring on road trips while he is on the DL? No, its Desmond not Werth.

Assuming there are no major injuries, if one were to use a model of trend projections, the Nationals worse case scenario would be 90-91 wins. This would mean the team going 500. Based on performance and again, with no major injuries, the Nats probably finish 35-27 or 36-26 over the next 62 games. This is fun!!

If they thought Corey Brown was a part of the future, he would be in the lineup today against a RH minor league starter. Looks like they are giving Bernandina the nod over Brown and his AAA numbers. Comparing Corey Brown to Josh Willingham is actually too funny to even comment on at this point.

60-40 after 100 games is surprising, the fact that it's only 2 games better than the Pirates is stunning!The Pirates staying right on top of the Reds and it looks like the new ownership is committed to bringing in a winner. They succeeded far more rapidly than expected. Like the Nats they got rid of their AAAA pitching and position players like Milledge. Its going to be very hard for the other owners seeing the Pirates, Nats, and A's making playoff runs while they are saddled with bloated payrolls and losing. LIke Jeffrey Loria … none more deserving than he.

Fear and Ignorance said…If they thought Corey Brown was a part of the future, he would be in the lineup today against a RH minor league starter. Looks like they are giving Bernandina the nod over Brown and his AAA numbers.Sure Angel'O's fan. And how are they doing right now? Eh?Its all about the depth chart and going with who 'brung' you to the dance.And that's Bernadina. Otherwise, given that Tyler Moore is hitting better than Roger Bernadina AND hits better against right handed pitching? He would be in there? Brown and Bernadina provide far superior fielding … still there's always Harper in CF again … Davey seems willing to put out an all offense little defense outfield. If Werth were back Roger and Brown the left-handers would sit for Werth the right hander. And Werth is decidedly worse offensively than both Bernadina and Brown. Jury is still way out on Brown at the major league level.Your logic escapes me as both Moore (who is definitely hitting at the major league level right?) and Brown will likely be returned to the minors fo rChad Tracy and Werth. Explain that.

Peric-I think Davey is right with you on Werth, and is dreading the day he has to put him back in that lineup. Jayson who???He keeps telling everyone how happy he will be with his original ST outfield of Morse, Harper, and Werth. (Leaving out Ankiel which speaks volumes about what he was wanted and planned for from the get-go.) With Tracy back that leaves no room for Moore and Brown who both have still have options.

Peric, those stats are great, but are you really ready to bench a vet like Werth based on AAA numbers? I know a lot of people want to turn baseball into a math formula, but the stats only tell you what has happened in the past, they don't guarantee future performanceWhen it comes to judging ballplayers, stats are a tool, not the end all be all

peric… then why bring up Brown at all, if that iss the thinking? Because someone compared his numbers in AAA to Bernadina and JMax ugh! Brown did far better. In fact better than Morse!! And look what he ended up doing? Brown is a consummate center fielder as good as you are going to get. Certainly a lot better than Bourn. Jury's out on Goodwin but I suspect Brown may end up as the better glove. In any case there's no comparison. Brown is a legitimate close to the top of the draft first round pick. He has now shown why that is the case in this past season in AAA. He's the real deal as long as he can keep his confidence up and exercises his eyes with his strobe light glasses. I'm surprised none of the erstwhile beat writers asked him about that? It often seems like the Syracuse radio guys should be here. They are often better at finding out what's really going on with the players and the team. And it really should be the reverse.

From what I can see, Corey Brown and Tyler Moore both bring a lot to the table. In other years and on other teams, things might be different. There is just a lot to choose from this year on this team. Although I would love to see an outfield defense of Harper, Brown , Werth – then where would you put Morse's bat? Back at first – then what do you do with ALR? Each move causes a ripple effect somewhere else. Then you bring in the complication of options/ no options. I like it that we have been able to see some of Moore and Brown. I see them as being right on the bubble. The roster choices during the next two months will be interesting to watch. Everybody better be on their toes every day because if they are not, someone else would be glad for the opportunity. Just ask Nady and Ankiel.

Peric, those stats are great, but are you really ready to bench a vet like Werth based on AAA numbers? Given Werth's past season? And then the injury? Sure. Were it not for the contract. Honestly every was all over Austin Kearns and the guy had a serious problem with his thumb that required surgery. And he wasn't all that much worse than Werth was last season. And Werth was paid more. And they released Kearns who was great in the locker room and a pretty decent right fielder and CF if needed. Plus he could hit. And where he is he today? Right. Bench bat. Jayson Werth is a bench bat at age 33 going on 34.

Peric-I agree with you 100% on Werth. The bottom line is that they have an extremely overcrowded outfield situation and need to do something…do you think Werth could be traded if we ate half of his contract? I would honestly unload him in a heartbeat if another team would even take close to half of that $126 million. Don't forget, you also have Rendon in the pipeline with no position. You basically have 8 guys (or more) for 4 future spots (1B and OF-assuming Zim stays put):HarperMorseLaRocheWerthBrownMoore BernadinaRendon-still can't figure out where he fits in…I personally don't think Zimmerman is moving off of 3B any time soon…maybe Rendon goes to 1B in 2014 and just platoons in 2013 if he is up.

I've never been a Werth fan, and yes he was awful in almost every way last seasonBut, based on his playoff experience, and the fact that his role now will be similar to the one he had in Phila, I still think he deserves to startAnd I never compared Brown's stats to Bernadina and JMax. Trust me, I'll never make a "AAA numbers comparison"…I said he probably tops out as a similar MLB player as those 2

Mick-I don't think any free agent will fault a team for trying to improve. Also, it is not like Werth helped us get Buerhle and I really don't see the Nats going after many free agents in the near future to be honest.

"there's a reason he's been in the minors for so long…"Sure. Corey did not play up to his potential until this year, for whatever reason. Why was Morse a career sub, until the age of 28?The Nats already know what they have in Bernie. He has been in the system about as long, or longer, than anyone else, except, perhaps, Desi. I suspect they have made a decision to go with the Shark in the post-season, perhaps for reasons of team chemistry or team morale. That's their call, but I would think they would want to see what they have in Brown."have we really seen enough for him to earn that much praise?"We will have to see how he hits ML pitching, but his defensive abilities are not going to be different no matter who hits the ball to the OF. He already had the rep as one of our best OF defenders, and all he has done since he came up is confirm his rep."Most likely he tops out as a R. Bernadina or J. Maxwell type of guy, not a superstar…"And what is that opinion based upon? I closely watched his approach at the plate yesterday. His lower body is very quiet. His step into the ball is almost non-existent – it's more that he squares his batting posture than he steps into his swing. His swing is level through the hitting zone. His HR to the opposite field, off a curve ball, was hit flat-footed, but he still had the power to drive it out. He is a power hitter, for sure.He has plenty of speed – not the Shark's cheetah, but a gazelle-like swiftness. He will get plenty of leg hits to pad his BA. He Ks too much, but that is the usual trade-off for a power guy.He has a shorter swing than Maxwell, and more power than Bernie. He will be better than either at the plate, and is already better in the field. The guy is solid. I see him more of a Grady Sizemore player – understated but very effective.He has already shown me more than what Josh Willingham had, at his best.

I think you are underestimating Werth. Not only is he skilled, smart, and plenty motivated, but his body has had three months off, which Bernadina's and Harper's have not. If Bernie is still hot next week, Davey may ease Werth in from the bench, but if Bernie goes back to his usual Bernie self, he's at best platooning. Within two weeks you will not see Bernadina starting.

Lol Jack! Reyes always seemed to have a bad a hammy during bad times in NY, and when he was really slumping he would forget how to speak English when the reporters showed up…Used to drive D Wright nuts…

Peric"Otherwise, given that Tyler Moore is hitting better than Roger Bernadina AND hits better against right handed pitching?"TyMo is hitting better than Morse, especially when it comes to power hitting. TyMo has 6 HRs already, in only 93 ABs – Morse has 7 HRs in 204 ABs. TyMo is hitting 'em out at a rate twice that of Mikey Mo.All the commentators who have been minimizing the skills of the Nats rookie corps should take a closer look at what the kids have actually been doing on the field. Opinions are just that, but I'll take the facts and the evidence of what I can see with my own eyes.It took Brown only until his first start to hit his first HR. Morse went (what?) a month after he came back before he hit his first one out?Facts are stubborn things, and you ignore them at your own cost.

Werth didn't play like a $126M man last season, but it's going too far to say he was "awful in almost every way last season." In fact, he was average in almost every way–103 wRC+, 2.5 WAR on the season.If you want to know what awful looked like last year, look at Adam Dunn–59 wRC+, -2.9 WAR.

Laddie–I'm all for TyMo but I don't think you can compare Morse unfavorably to him at this point. Morse was injured, and a lot of those at-bats were part of his delayed Spring Training and a bit of a slump after the All-Star Break. The league will adjust to TyMo, and whether he can adjust back remains to be seen.

LaddieIt's not a question of "minimizing their skills." It's a question of performance, and specifically, whether they can be expected to perform at such high levels from here on out. In Brown's case, the fact that he failed to consistently perform that well in 5 minor league seasons gives plenty of reason to be cautious.

Tommy Milone hit a homerun on the first pitch of his first start–and he was known to be a good hitter. So, Corey Brown hit well in AAA, and I'm glad he hit a home run in his first start, but to draw significance from that is really, er, strange… I mean, small sample size? The question is whether he can hit ML pitching consistently. Since he's going back down any day now, we're not going have much chance to see until September at the earliest.

Here's my take. What TyMo and Brown have earned this year is an opportunity to be in the mix next year and that's it. How it will all shake out next year depends on health, trades, fa signings, spring training performance and more. To compare 100 at bats of TyMo to a proven hitter like Morse is not a serious exercise. To even consider Rendon at this stage is a real stretch. Let the kid play healthy and productive for 1 pro year before we start reshaping the whole defensive alignment.

The ball Moore hit for a HR was a curve between the belt and the letters that didn't break. If he hadn't hit it out of the park he would have been fined $50 in the post-game kangaroo court. Please wait to anoint him until he has been around the league, played every day for a month, etc. If everybody could bat against Randy Wolf every day, everybody would be an All-Star. Moore is fun to watch right now, and he's better than I thought he'd be. But let's not start planning our 2030 summer vacations around his Cooperstown induction.

What I love about Davey and Rizzo is they use both stats and their eyes when it comes to these decisions…It drives the Stat-Geeks nuts when Rizzo won't put an exact number on the Stras limit, but says "It's around 160-190 innings, but I'll decide by what I see"… They use the stats as a guide or a tool, but not the sole basis for every decision…

Not to ruin a good apples vs. oranges vs. pears vs. grapes discussion of Nats OFs, but I'm just happy to have the luxury of having Messrs. Bernadina, Brown, Harper, Lombardozzi, Moore, Morse, and (soon) Werth to choose from and among as the Nats head into August and September. Two other minor notes:– Did anyone already point out that Logan Morrison may be out of the season in Miami?– Did folks see this piece from the NYTimes Magazine? Note especially the lede (which concerns the Nats-Yankees extra-inning game earlier this season):http://www.nytimes.com/2012/07/29/sports/baseball/catcher-russell-martin-masters-the-games-mind-games.html?emc=tnt&tntemail1=y

Great example NatsLady…Thanks for the link Eugene, there were many examples of "game-management" by the Yanks in that series. I thought their hitters really slowed the pace of the Nats pitchers by stepping out, etc…and the Nats allowed the Yanks to dictate the pace…Of course it helps that the umps have a policy "If Jeter doesn't swing, it's not a strike"Hopefully the Nats learned a few things…

Doc Halliday==> not looking good.The Phillies are getting long-in-the-tooth and the new Nationals inspired to help his Brewers draft rules by Selig will make it harder for teams to rebuild. Right now Texas, Tampa Bay, Kansas City and the Nats with a good bundle of high-end talent but not a lot of depth are in the cat bird seat. Tampa is sitting on their talent, not trading it. I guess Tampa is expecting Jimmy Shields to end up like Halladay sooner and so …

The whole pitch count/ innings flap – blah, blah, blah. If you watch the Nats every day you will see that Davey removes his pitchers most often for OFFENSE. The game is close, the pitcher's spot is coming up – pinch hitter. He wants to add on – pinch hitter. He also seems to want his relievers to be integral to the games and stay in involved. We don't want our pitchers to fall apart in September the way the Braves relievers did last year. Some of that " in my day" stuff just gets annoying. And it was actually IN my day so I can say that.

Some of that " in my day" stuff just gets annoying. And it was actually IN my day so I can say that.He's also doing something else. He is the finishing school for the Nats top prospects and I like it when he takes on that mantle. That's a reason why his bullpen is full. Its a really tough juggling act trying to win while developing prospects to their fullest potential but with the organization and the minors right behind him Davey is having unexpected wild success. 30 out of the 42 total on the 40-man (including 60-day DL) are prospects developed from the farm according to Kilgore. That's quite a number for a 60-win team this far into the season.The Nats are doing it with youth NOT by signing old bench bats like Werth. And Davey is a big part of that.

Gio is getting royally squeezed. Plus – Gio and Det have big time trouble controlling their emotions when something doesn't go right. Sometimes Stras, too. They need to calm him down. Offense should be able to handle Rogers for some more runs. Bases loaded, one walked in, one lucked in – not nearly as bad as it could have been. Gio, Det and Henry can share a sports shrink.

I may have to switch over. The masn audio feed from Miller Park, or where the media is located, makes the crowd noise too high through their mikes. It's very hard to listen to the announcers. Very bad balance. Blue last night, too loud today. Hoping Gio settles in and lets the rest of the guys do their jobs.

Braun walked, Hart singled and Braun went to 3rd. Hart was caught going to 2nd and while they tagged him Braun scored. Gio is not getting the low strikes called but he's not pitching well. Flores got a foul ball on his right shoulder but he's staying in.

So after last night, and then Lombo's lead off hr- now everyone wants the long ball and they are forgetting about just getting on base.Everyone swinging for the fences. Someone told them this guy just came up, hasn't had many starts and so he must be easy to hit, right? Interesting how the predicted Bernie cool – off is happening just in time for Werth to return. Day off tomorrow and then another brutal NLEast stretch. I don't care how many games any team is out of it in the NLEast – we are going to have a target on our backs for every game and everyone is going to play us tough. There is no such thing as an easy game.

Ron Darling on the TBS broadcast correctly blamed that run on Zim. He needed to get rid of the ball so that someone with the play in front of him could hold Braun at third while hopefully tagging out the hung up Hart. I thought I'd check the recording to see if our knowledgable color man and play by play guy would be willing to criticize the FoF? Or even say that the other infielders should be yelling at him to throw home. Of course not. Braun is apparently one of the best base runners in the league. That's just shameful.

That was bad baseball by the No way that run should have scored.Oh, we'll, we'll come back.Ladie, I agree with everything about your first comments about Willingham except that you said he was an average, at best, outfielder.I think he is overall way below average. He plays more routine singles into doubles with his routes then anybody out there.Mick,Justin Maxwell seems to have found a home with the Astros, at least when he's healthy.

Sorry for ranting but this ump is just all over the place. He squeezed Gio, now he has given Rogers some quite generous calls. No wonder our hitters can't get a read on him – he is either throwing a ball at someone, way out of the strike zone, or he is getting some ridiculous pitch called a strike. This is really some of the worse ball and strike calling that I have seen in a long time.

Mick – I think so, too. Just enough wildness from the pitcher combined with the jello-like strike zone is not allowing the hitters to get a good read. Getting people on, eventually we will get them in. This game has been a little crazy so far.

When Lombo hit his leadoff homer, I flashed back to that game against the Braves where he did the same thing, and Harper made it back to back bombs. I just hoped that our bats wouldn't go to sleep the way they did that day. Still hoping.

I'm bouncing in and out between game and domestic responsibilities — have the announcers said anything about why Adam LaRoche was lifted? I can't imagine it would happen, but you always have to wonder around the trade deadline…

I had the same thought about the stomach flu. They are saying back problems. Rizzo has cojones, and no doubt he could get a haul for ALR–if he thinks TyMo is ready for primetime. But I don't think he's going to mess with success.

Sec 222After the one game play-in, for this year only, it will be a 2-3 format with the first two games being played at the lower seeded team. After this year it will then revert back to 2-2-1 with the first two games at the higher seeded team. They did not have the flexibility to add travel days this year.

Danny back to being a strike out machine. Rogers has really taken advantage of the strike zone today. We haven't. Runner on second no outs , you have to move that runner over and score. Too much swinging for fences instead of hitting for the situation.

Come on JD, its just funny to have those immediate reactions. Davey should take his advice, bench Espinosa, call up Rivera for Peric and F & I and make sure that Werth never sees another major league game. Nothing to it, we can ruin this franchise in a matter of minutes.Go Nats!!

JD – rogers didn't make tough pitches. He made pitches out of the zone that were either called strikes or swung at because the ones before it were called strikes. He threw pitches all over the place today. It didn't matter because the strike zone was so random. I also watch with gameday, swift eagle, and you are not ever going to convince me that it's always this bad. This was one of the worst I have seen – so bad that it has affected the course of the game. Not a panic reaction because we are behind, either, just offended as life-long fan of the game.

Morse at 1B. First time this season? I really feel like we need to just get the heck out of Milwaukee safely at this point. No one is playing where they usually do, Flo is getting pelted. Bad mojo today.

Ouch, that homer hurt. I had the feeling we could come back, but not now. Ok, 2-2 split on the road, and a 5-2 road trip. I'll take it. Bring it home guys and let's put a nail in the Phillie's coffin. Nice stretch by Morse! He can still play there it appears.

Sec 222 – really? Just goes to show he doesn't actually watch. Strasburg has how many of those 60 wins? All 60 you say? Seriously – this series has been very bipolar for both teams. Excellent last 8 or 9 days for the Nats, though. They can chew on a little humble pie on their off day before facing some more teams they are supposed to dominate because they have under .500 records. they will need to come out sharp this week. And can we please get Bryce's tummy all better, ALR's back in shape and ice all over Flores? The walking wounded.

Well, we really did beat ourselves, with the help of the blues, assuming that we don't score four here.Whatever happens, we're still in first. This is going to be a ride not to be forgotten over the next two months! Morse had two nice plays at first there.

swami – Seriously. Then Darling said the Znn precedent was based in part on the fact that we were out of the pennant race by September last year. And that you have to take your shot for winning it all when you get it. I'm very surprised two former pitchers have this view. Surely they remember Kerry Wood, Mark Prior, etc. Luckily, it's not their decision to make.

baseballswami said…Steve Lombardozzi has had a fantastic game today. He is playing very well.We miss Desi, but losing him could have hurt a lot more.Lombo getting this kind of time will help out a great deal in October

NatsLady, its either him or Stammen. They have invested too much in Henry to let him go for nothing. One of the two gets optioned and recalled when rosters expand, stays on the roster for the playoffs, Henry gets the winter and spring training to try to get his mind in shape.

I have to guess Davey's reasoning is that if he uses Burnett for the 8th and we don't score, then he has to use Gorzy for the 9th and risk him giving up a walk-off. But sheesh, after the first HR, you have to take Mattheus out. This is really hard on Stammen who hasn't been great with inherited runners recently.

JD – agreed on the ugly assessment. From start to finish, ugly stuff. Nice comeback in the 8th , more rookie love, but lots of ugly to go around. How do you keep a guy in that is serving it up when there is an off day tomorrow?

All this double switching so that Mattheus and Stammen could pitch another inning. Never thought I'd say this, but it feels like Davey overmanaged this one. Except that he undermanaged in leaving Mattheus in. Ugh.

I get sick of the "this one's on Davey." This on is on Espinosa. This one is on Gio. This one is on Flores. This one is on Mattheus. This one is on Ryan Zimmerman. It's not just on Johnson. That statement is ignorant.

Plenty of blame to go around, but all the folks you mentioned had failures of execution. Frustrating, but it happens. Davey inexplicably left Mattheus in for a second inning after he had given up a homer. And then left him in again (!!) after he gave up a second one. It's not ignorant to say its on him. It's accurate.

Ok, in hindsight , who should you have brought in? Keep in mind you have 17games in 16days coming up. Storen, after last night? Burnett after last night? Gorzolony? Henry? Think about it. In hindsight Davey looks bad, but like I said, overall Mattheus has been reliable this year. He wasn't today. But we need a lot of innings from all of these guys over the next two and half weeks.

Natsjack- totally agree. Nats have had an outstanding week and even though they know they are going home, they just keep on keeping on. Very proud of them. Valiant effort. Good habits, good bulldog mentality.

swami,Re the two blown save question: In the ninth, he was the pitcher of record at that point (i.e., he would have been the winning pitcher if he had held on). He wasn't brought into the game to save the game for another pitcher. So no, if I understand the rule correctly, it wasn't a save situation and thus he can't be charged with a second blown save.

Burnett and Storen should both be available, but looking at a tie game, as I said, if you bring him in for the 8th and don't score in the bottom of the 8th you are in the same situation we are in now. Basically, Davey had to see if Mattheus could go two innings.

Oh come on JS. Do you seriously believe that Davey had no other option but to leave Mattheus in? How about bringing in Stammen? Or Burnett (he pitched last night, but not on Friday). Storen pitched last night, but Gonzales didn't. Nor did Gorzo. I know everyone worries about Gorzo, but after Mattheus gave up his 2nd homer, woud you really not take a chance on Gorzo over Mattheus? And we have an off day tomorrow, so everyone will be fresh for the Phillies.Some nights a pitcher just doesn't have it. Mattheus didn't and he should not have been left in to lose the game for us. Thankfully Morse saved our bacon. Let's hope this discussion is completely academic soon.

Swami, scrape yourself off the ceiling. I am going to get a glass of wine so that I can calm down!I love these guys! How awesome was that. I have 4 games this week. I can't wait! Wow and WE WON the Series! Can't say it enough, these guys never quit.

rogieshan said… Big shoutout to Zack Greinke for not being here today! July 29, 2012 6:37 PM ___________________________Not too sure of that. After Lombo's leadoff HR, the kid did a good job on the Nats.

Gonat said…rogieshan said… Big shoutout to Zack Greinke for not being here today! July 29, 2012 6:37 PM ___________________________Not too sure of that. After Lombo's leadoff HR, the kid did a good job on the Nats.=========================And, for what it's worth, Mr. Greinke picked up the loss today for the Angels.

When you attack me NatsJack…you should be more specific!!! You can call me negative all you want…that I can accept…but to call me ignorant, you will need to do that to my face for me to worry about it…and you WON'T. Aren't you the same guy that said Strasburg was at 75% of what he used to be pre-injury and that Lombardozzi is a horrible defender??? Thought so.

Blown calls, blown plays, blown opportunities — and they still win. Karma? A blessing from the baseball gods for not doing something stoopid before the trade deadline? They clearly need a good night's sleep. They are going to be adding pieces at the deadline, without trading anyone. And isn't it ironic (?) that two of the biggest contributors are likely to be in the minors in a week or two?Maybe ironic isn't the right word but it's starting to feel like they've got a 28-29 man roster.

So my wife talks me into going to Mass at 7-3, I come out of church and its 9-9 and I watch the rest. I get re cap… my only question and maybe it was answered is when Nats tied it at 7-7, why was Mattheus still in and not say Stammen then?any way, what an amazing team and I conclude with give me a B, give me a E, give me a A, give me a S, give me a T, whats that spell B-E-A-S-T!!!!

Great scene from the movie Moonstruck: [Loretta accepts to marry Ronny instead of Ronny's brother Johnny, her ex-fiancé, in front of her family. Loretta's grandfather, the Old Man, starts to cry] Cosmo Castorini: What's the matter, Pop? Old Man: [crying] I'm confused! After this game, that's exactly how I feel. A mind-boggling game.

joemktg — one of the many great lines in that film, maybe second only to "old man, you give your dogs another plate of my food, and I'm going to kick you till you're dead!"VERY smart to hold our same hand at the deadline — the chemistry is too good to mess around with.I. LOVE. THIS. TEAM!

I guess I should also tip my cap to Stammen and to Clip, who did get to three outs with the lead intact, even if it was very, er, exciting. The funniest part was the Mattheus-Morse hugout in the dugout. I'm pretty sure that a bunch of pitchers owe some position players steaks, but I lost count. :-)Mick, your question wasn't answered that I saw, but I didn't watch the postgame.natsfan1a said… Haven't read the thread but, as the skipper might say, holy moly! Am I ever glad the hitters pulled that one out. That was some ballgame! July 29, 2012 6:44 PM

All in all, it was a gutsy win but just scratching my noggin with another lousy performance by Gio. 5 walks and he didn't field his position well today including that crazy Zim play where Braun scored. It could have been worse as Braun just missed a HR in another at-bat and you also have to consider Nats-killer Aramis Ramirez wasn't in the starting lineu-up.So much for thinking this was going to be an easy win after Greinke was traded and Gio didn't have to face Aramis.

mick said… Gonat… I think Gio let the Umpire get the best of him.. In fact, Davey and the bench let the ump have it in the 5th July 29, 2012 7:11 PM _____________________________He squeezed him but Gio was biting corners instead of attacking. I will check Pitch F/X tomorrow.

FYI:Jerry Crasnick, baseball writer for ESPN.com, tweeted on Saturday that there are discussions taking place between the Dodgers and Cubs that would send Dempster to L.A. in exchange for 25-year-old pitcher Josh Lindblom:also, Hunter Pence is also rumored to be possibly traded

Gio just missing, terrible umpiring, then he gets freaked out. I said at the beginning of the game that he and Det just have to figure that out – with Henry, maybe? After that the wackiness ensued and didn't let up. Not to be lost, though – Lombo played out of his mind, Corey Brown is the real deal, Espi has a gun, Morse is back to being the beast, Craig Stammen was awesome, and this team just never, ever, ever quits! Would somebody please give Flo a very gentle hug? That guy just gets hammered.

Mick – Dempster has given up 7 earned over his last 2 starts. Maybe a blip, maybe a trend, maybe trouble.Dempster's career numbers which is a lengthy only includes 2 Ace type seasons. Also consider he is 35.With all that said, I would take him here as a Veteran who still seems to have some Ace left in him and still leads the Majors in ERA.

At Syracuse Lannan got torched, giving up 13 hits and six earned in 3.1 innings. Not a good audition for next weekend's twin bill.Ryan Perry throws 6 scoreless innings for Harrisburg. His ERA is 1.82. This experiment is getting interesting.Jason Martinson homered again. He now has 10 homers at Potomac to go with his 10 at Hagerstown. At the two levels combined he has 96 RBIs to go with his 20 home runs.

NL, I saw the Ray Knight recap too. Much more blame to Zim, as it should be. Morse's bad throw just meant that Hart might have ended up on second. Zim's bad play let the run score. Morse is not responsible for that.mick — you're absolutely right — Mattheus should not have pitched in the 8th. At the very least he should have been pulled after the 1st homer in that inning.But hey, big time screwups by Zim and Davey and we still win. The rest of the team picked them up. Excellent!!

OK, we won't all agree on why Matheus was left in, but percentages on the righty/lefty matchups say that he would get each of those guys out. Hindsight is 20/20 is a cliche, but looking back it was a bad move, however,a good manager plays his gut, a great one plays both his gut and the statistical probabilities. Nobody bats a thousand, but Johnson approaches it. We agree to disagree, but following my percentage argument, I'm going with Davey Johnson's judgement 99% of the time over mine, or some poster that only seems to pipe in with negative comments. As far as the over-managing issue, much of it revolved around ALR needing to come out. Davey wasn't doing a Gigggleman thing with being cute, and over thinking it. Every move was calculated, and made perfect sense, IMO.

Drew, its AAA which matters to the people in Syracuse and Davey said before he doesn't care. What we don't know is whether Lannan was specifically told to work on some pitches and maybe was told to take it easy. On paper, it looks bad, but we should only care what he does for the Nats and his win last week was as clutch as it gets.

I was saying to my husband during the game that they were going to give Davey a heart attack. Hope he has a strong ticker. :-)Seamhead, good point on ALR coming out. I noticed after he reached first earlier in the game that he seemed to reach his hand over towards his side or back, and I remembered that after he'd been pulled.Gonat said… Kardiac Kids gave Davey some "more gray hairs" as he said in his post-game. July 29, 2012 7:13 PM

I think today really sealed the deal on the last man standoff between Mattheus and Stammen.Corey Brown sure does look good. With Brown, Moore and Werth soon to return it seems like we have more OFs than we know what to do with.I think they let ALR go next year, move Morse to 1st (where he looked great last year) and have either Brown starting in Center or Moore starting in Left. Hard to say which would be preferable. Brown has the edge on D, but Moore seems to have the bigger bat (as of today)

I now understand why all the old-school announcers used short catch phrases all the time, sometimes this game just leave you speechless!!Holy Cow!, How "Bout That!, Ain't the Beer Cold?!, Oh, Doctor!, Nats Win, Nats Win, Nats Win!

Haha, yes we are Natsfan1a! What seemed like just another 7-3 loss on a lazy Sunday turns into an instant classic…And how many runs have the Nats scored on late inning wild pitch/fast balls? That's become their move…

NatsFanChris said… I think they let ALR go next year, move Morse to 1st (where he looked great last year) and have either Brown starting in Center or Moore starting in Left. Hard to say which would be preferable. Brown has the edge on D, but Moore seems to have the bigger bat (as of today) July 29, 2012 7:42 PM ________________________________Still plenty of time to decide on LaRoche. Maybe you keep him and make a trade since you have team control. Maybe you do let him walk. Also keep in mind that Morse is a Free Agent after next year.I just think discussing LaRoche's fate is way too premature on July 29.

You know, I feel sorry for the fans who want to talk only about stats, prospects, future signings, etc, etc. They're missing the best part: The way the Current Players, selected by the GM, with this manager, play the game, on the field, every day…Some of you are missing the big picture..

JoeS, good point about ALR and how that prompted alot of the switching. That's a curveball that the game threw Davey, and he handled it well, as usual. And I certainly realize that Davey plays his gut and the %s, and he's right alot. In fact, most of the time it's downright scary how he's able to think several innings ahead and make exactly the right move.Sometimes he's wrong though, and today was one of those times. Mattheus' performance in the 7th didn't warrant the confidence Davey showed in him and there were definitely other options available. But I'm certainly not saying I could manage the team better. That's why being a fan is so fun. My eyesight is nowhere near 20/20, but my hindsight definitely is.As for Lannan, he undoubtedly earned a return doubleheader engagement with his clutch performance last weekend. There's absolutely no way they take a flyer with Perry or CMWang, no matter how badly or why Lannan got beat up today. He's lined up to start that game, and I definitely wish him well. I wonder if JZnn will decide to pitch the first game as E-Jax did last time. (Because of the off day tomorrow, I assume everyone's getting an extra day's rest this week.)

NatsFanChris said… Corey Brown sure does look good. With Brown, Moore and Werth soon to return it seems like we have more OFs than we know what to do with.July 29, 2012 7:42 PM _______________________________Also bringing back Chad Tracy. Really like that Corey Brown will make sending him down a tough call. Whoever gets sent down, they will be back on Sept 1st.The team is holding up well without Ian Desmond, Jayson Werth and Wilson Ramos.

sec 222, on the plus side, Mattheus did have an awesome postgame quote, per Kilgore's Tweeter:Adam Kilgore ‏@AdamKilgoreWPFrom Ryan Mattheus, a lament heard only at Miller Park: “That guy shouldn’t have went down that slide as many times as he did.”

Joe Seamhead said… Incidentally, I fully expect Matheus to be the one optioned between now and Tuesday when Tracy is activated. I've thought that for a while now because of the option factor.___________________________________I fully expect a Henry should soreness injury to the DL and back on Sept 1st.

Ghost, that would be the only "experiment" that Davey tried in this game, namely, can Mattheus go two innings? After the first HR, he had set down three in a row, and Davey himself said he didn't conceive Aoki would hit one out, and how much the ball flies when the roof is open. So–the only effective relievers for the Brewers, Livo and some guy they brought up from the minors.

So apparently Rizzo told Peter Gammons that John Lannan is better than anyone he could trade for at this point. Nice vote of confidence. I do think that Lannan has to work on pitches and stay healthy at this point. I also think that , with his ground ball style, his outcomes are much, much, better with major league defenders. Not talking errors- talking balls that are gotten to and plays that are made that might not be in the minors. Just a couple of those per game can make a huge difference. If you watched the game last Saturday you saw a nice rhythm develop between him with that contact style and those premiere defenders. It was quite magical at times. He is not going to get that in Syracuse. Pitching to contact just requires a very good defense.

Re: use of Mattheus, start w/ something Carp said, Storen "was unavailable." (Henry, of course, was "deeply unavailable." Johnson saw the game going into extra innings. Because they were on the road, he was going to need (almost certainly) a save from Clippard. Thus, he couldn't use Clippard until he had the lead. The plan, then was to get Mattheus through the eighth, then Burnett through the ninth (if still tied), then Clippard in hopefully, not later than the tenth. Except Mattheus couldn't make it through the eighth — Stammen had to be called in, and he pitched the 9th because the Brewers had three RH hitters, and the 10th because, after the LH, Aoki, the Brewers were all right-handed down to Izturis and it was not an ideal situation for the LH Burnett (who also pitched yesterday). Except for Mattheus trying to throw raw meat past a lion a couple of times (Ray Knight's analysis), things would have been fine. Johnson's planned use of his bullpen was fine.

Re: Mattheus – Davey said the match ups looked good for him – no way of knowing he would melt down. Or continue to disintegrate. He also said that Mattheus gets amped up and tries to over throw the ball. Ray Knight said the same thing. He has a great sinker but doesn't trust it. Don't know about the leaving him in just a tad too long, though. Other than that- young pitcher's mental issues. We've got those in spades these days.

We get it NL. Davey never makes a mistake in your view. You're entitled to your opinion. But surely you recognize that Stammen was available. In fact, he pitched 2 1/3 innings once Mattheus threw his third gopher ball. Are you saying that was the absolute max he could have gone? Don't think so since he's gone 3 innings several times this season, and probably would have come out for the 11th if the Nats hadn't scored. Theo, I'm not saying that Mattheus shouldn't have been used in the 7th. I'm saying he shouldn't have pitched in the 8th, or should have been removed after the first HR in the 8th. Davey needed a quicker hook, whether it was for Stammen, Gonzales, Burnett, or Gorzo. (I agree this was not the situation for H-Rod.) And his plan was to use Stammen in the 9th for as long as it took to get to Clipp for the save. But he had to bring him in early, he just didn't do it early enough.

Of course Davey makes mistakes, just like every other manager in baseball history…He doesn't need to be perfect, he just needs to be better than the opponentsLast time I checked, you can't do any better than 1st place…Enjoy the ride, especially after a win like today

Looks like Werth and Tracy both had a good day in AAA today, which is bringing the inevitable much closer. Someone who contributed big time to today's win is going down. That is just painful with the chemistry that they have going on. An embarrassment of riches. Since I am still giddy after that win ( after eating pounds of crow because I kind of, sort of, considered the game lost – guilty), I must give one more shout out to our amazing crop of rookies! Did someone offer the opinion that Lombo could never be an everyday player? Surely not! By the way, Bernadina, the perpetual scapegoat with the clutch homer today. What a week it's been for the nats!

sec 222, yeah, Bernie the Brewer is very annoying.Swift Eagle, definitely do remember those days with the 'pen. In fact, was flashing back to them a bit earlier.Ghost, I thought I saw Henry up in the 'pen as well. Don't recall which inning it was.btw, there is a new post up, with video. We'll have our work cut out for us to get it over 400 comments.

But surely you recognize that Stammen was available. In fact, he pitched 2 1/3 innings once Mattheus threw his third gopher ball. Are you saying that was the absolute max he could have gone?Hey 222,Davey now has eight guys in the bullpen. He has to find ways to get all of them work because he feels he is going to need them. With Storen back Mattheus has not been getting as much work … nor has Gorzelanny … with Storen and H-Rod "rehabbing" in the majors. Give the guy a chance to work out a system to get everybody reps out of the bullpen. You try to win but its a marathon fool. He still has 61 games left in the season plus playoffs. And the games get tougher as more is at stake. And as we've seen injuries do happen. Give the guy a chance to work people in so they don't get rusty will ya dude?

Looks like Werth and Tracy both had a good day in AAA today, which is bringing the inevitable much closer. Someone who contributed big time to today's win is going down.It'll happen when it happens. Davey isn't rushing to get them back the way he did with DeRosa. Or even Storen. More like CM Wang or Nady. Guess we'll just have to see what happens.Besides their contributions were have been overshadowed by Carlos Rivero who is making himself into a solid top prospect at age 23. Advanced stats followed by the Phuture Phillies showed how he project as a potential sleeper with a break out year in the offing. Another right prediction for advanced stats. Kudos to Rizzo and his scouts for getting this one right!Carlos Rivero: a study in signing International Talent.And then there's Jeff Mandel last night … throwing a 1 hitter for six with a close to 2 ERA. At age 27 a late bloomer but one that is looking pretty impressive … far more than NatsJack's guy Garcia. They are so impressed with Christian Garcian they went out and again signed 35 year old Mike MacDougal. Mike, the reliever with 31 walks and 31 strikeouts. Just as likely to issue a walk as a strike out. But throws mid to upper nineties.

Folks, speaking of moves, we can only imagine what/who the Phillies will be putting on the field on Tuesday,as many think that Victorina, Blanton, and Pierre have probably played their last game for them. Who else? Many of them have too heavy contracts to be worth much to any other team.

I don't think I've ever seen this many comments! I came on to just say how nice it was that they battled back to win, my husband did not believe the way my daughter and I did. He promises to do better. So so glad to hear Rizzo say he couldn't trade for anyone as good as Lannan is. That's good news. I'm curious about the MacDougall move; what that could be about. And a day with now baseball tomorrow. It sure is fun, this period, isn't it?